Governor for lowering devices.



H. xvi/Wm GOVERNOR m Lam/Ems names;

APPLICATION FILED IAN- 28| 1916.

Patented Feb. 5, MS.

3 SHEETS-5hEETS T. H. MARTEN. GOVERNOR FOR LOWERING DEVICES.-

APPLKCATION FILED 1AN.28. 1916.

7 Batented Feb 1918.

3 SHEETS -SHEET 2.

mmmwm THOMAS HENRY MARTEN, or TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA.

GOVERNOR FOR LOWERING DEVICES.

1,255,453. Specification of Letters Patent Pwhfinlifidll llffih. 5, 191%.. v 1 '1 Application filed January 28, 1916. Serial No. 74,746.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS HENRY Mme 'ruN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and resident of the city of Toronto, county of York, Province of Ontario, in the Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements-in Governors for Lowering Devices, described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, that form part of the same.

The principal. objects of the invention are, toprovide a safe and easily controlled lowering device which will eliminate the possibility of the loss of control of the load while being lowered and thereby rendering racing or falling of theload impossible but which will allow of the lowering of the load at any desired speed. 1

A further object is to reduce the factor of manual control to theminimum and in such a manner that the safety of the lowering in respect to accidental falling or racing is entirely independent of the manual control.

A still further object is to devise an apparatus with which it will be possible to handle extremely heavy loads with a factor of safety equal t the handling of light loads and in which the factor of manual control is relatively small-or in other words there will be practically very slightldifiierence, if any, in the dependence upon the manual control whether the load be heavy or light.

The principal feature of the invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts whereby a braking member adapted to be adjusted in relation to the load is operatively connected with the load so as to operate to govern the speed of the lowering of the load and whereby the lowering of the load may be controlled by 1lgieans independent ofthe said brake mem- In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a lowering device constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevationalview showing a slightly modified form of construction.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of a further modified form of the device. 7

Fig. 4: is a sideelevational view showing a still further modified form of the device.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

' Referring to the drawings, 1 is a base hav ing the vertical standards 52 supporting the rotatable drum 3 upon which the cable 4 for supporting the load is wound.

5 are arms here shown adjustably secured 1 to the upper ends of the standards 2 and extending outwardly therefrom to a point beyond the periphery of the drum 3.

6 is a stud or shaft secured in the outer end of the arm 5 and supporting a pivot block 7.

8 is a lever formed with a longitudinal slot 9 in which the pivot block 7 is adjustably secured.

10 is a block formed with a jaw-shaped portion 10 adapted to straddle the outer side of the lever 8 and operativelyengage the block 7 and fulcrum pin 6. The outer portion of the block 10 is formed with a longitudinal threaded orifice and a threaded spindle 11 arranged parallel with the slot 9 and rotatably secured in the lever extends through said orifice. The lever may thus be adjusted to any desired position in relation to its fulcrum and held securely in the adjusted position by the threaded spindle.

12 is a brake member pivotally connected to one end of the lever 8 and engaging a braking surface on the periphery of the drum.

13 is a sheave rotatably arranged upon the lever fulcrum 6 and 14 is a sheave rotatably supported upon a pin 15 secured in the end of the lever Sopposite to that to which the brake member is connected.

The cable 4 which is wound upon the drum extends first around the sheave 18 and thence around the sheave 14 to the sheave 16 directly supporting the load. No means of support for the sheave 16 is shown as same may be carried upon any suitable form of device whether movable or stationary.

It will be readily understood that the pull of the load upon the cable t extending around the sheave it will pull outwardly upon one end of the lever 8 and said lever pivoting upon the fulcrum 6 will exert a braking pressure against the braking member 12' and consequently against the drum. The load thus applies a braking force to the periphery of the drum and consequently the load will not at any time be free to move without restriction effected by the friction of the brake consequent upon the amount of leverage, and the force thus exerted w1ll always be in proportion to the load.

The adjustable feature of the lever 8 in l considerable range in the adjustment of the relation to its fulcrum forms the cardinal feature of the invention as this allows of a lated to a fine degree.

7 With this form of construction it is possible by the use of the screw 11 to so proportion, during operation, the comparative lengths of the lever 8 on each side of its fulcrum as to cause the load to exert a braking effect sufficient to allow the load to move at the desired speed or to bring the load to rest and thus effect a perfect control of the load;

. ,It will be noted, that in all forms of construction' of my invention the point of connection of the load to the lever 8 can not be brought into alinement with its fulcrum, consequently a factor of safety is always provided and the load must always exert through the ends of the block. of holes are arranged in the side portions a braking force upon the cable supporting the-load.

In the form of device shown in Fig. 2 the pivot block is secured in the longitudinal .slotof the lever by transverse bolts 17 which extend through the sides 18 of the lever and A number of the lever-so that a suitable range of adjustment-of the lever in relation to the fullow the cable.

crum is possible and in order to change the adjustment it is merely necessary to remove the bolts 17 and slip the lever into a different position on its fulcrum.

With this form it is not possible to utilize the governing means-as a control apparatus to stop or release the load as the lever 8 cannot be adjusted during. operation or when the load is suspended therefrom.

In the form of the device shown in Fig. 2 the load supporting cable is not carried over sheaves arranged upon the lever. The lowering cable 19 extends directly outward from the drum to, and over, the sheave 20, and thence to the load. The sheave 20 is supported by a cable or other flexible means 21 extending over a sheave 22 carriedupon a suitable support either stationary or movable and is connected to the upper end of the lever 8. This construction is particularly adaptable for devices where a wide drum is used and the lead between the drum and thelowering sheave is sufiicient to alproper reeving or winding of the The brake members described are utilized for the purpose of preventing accidental racing or falling of the load during the operation of lowering, or they may be utilized to control the load in the manner described but it is preferable to provide a manually operated brake member here shown in the form of a brake shoe 23 operated by lever 24:. -In the form of the device illustrated in Fig. 3 the adjustable governing lever 8 is shown supported in a substantially horizontal position on a fulcrum 25 on the frame. A braking member 26 is connected to one end of the lever and the load supporting cable extends around a sheave 27 on the other end of the lever. A manual control is effected by means of a cam lever 28 which is here shown adapted to engage the braking member to force it into contact with the friction surface on the drum.

In operation the adjustable lever support ing the load effects a braking force in proportion to the load and the speed of lowering is thus governed with safety. The control of the load is effected by the manipulation of the manually operative parts but such control cannot remove the safety governing factor and with the speed thus governed it is obvious that the actual control in stopping or releasing the load may be effected at any period of movement with comparatively equal ease and effectiveness.

The forms of the device herein shown and described provide for a braking lever operatively connected with the load and adjustable in relation to the fulcrum but it must be understood that the form or construction may be altered considerably without departing from the spirit of the invention so long as an adjustment may be effected to alter the length of the lever between the fulcrum and the braking member in relation to the length 1 of the lever between the fulcrum and the point of connection to the load.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a governor for lowering devices, the combination with a rotatable drum support- 11 ing the load and a brake controlling said drum, of a fixed fulcrum support, a lever carried on said fulcrum support and having one end supporting the load and the other end connected with said brake to govern the 115 speed of the lowering of the load, said lever being adjustably arranged upon said fulcrum and means carried by said lever and engaging said fulcrum to rigidly hold said lever in the adjusted positions on said ful- 1 V crum support.

2. In a governor for lowering devices, the combination with a frame, a load supporting drum rotatably mounted on said frame and a brake controlling the drum, of a rigid ful- 12 crum support arranged on said frame, a block pivoted on said fulcrum, a lever adjustably mounted on said block and having one end supporting the load and the other end connected with said brake, and means 13 carried by said lever for adjusting said lever on said block and holding same in adjusted positions.

3. In a governor for lowering devices, the combination with a frame, a load supporting drum rotatably mounted on said frame and a brake controlling the drum, of a rigid fulcrum support arranged on said frame, a block pivoted on said fulcrum, a lever adj ustably mounted on said block and having one end supporting the load and the other end connected with said brake, and a screw spindle rotatably arranged on said lever and threaded in said block and adapted to adjust and hold the lever in adjusted positions according to the desired ratio of leverage each side of the fulcrum.

a. In a governor for lowering devices, the combination with a rotatable drum supporting the load and a brake controlling the drum, of a rigid fulcrum support, a lever adjustably supported on said fulcrum to alter the ratio of the leverage each side of the fulcrum, said lever having one end connected. with the brake, a sheave journaled in axial alinement with said fulcrum, a sheave journaled on the end of the lever opposite to that connected to the brake, and a cable secured to said drum and rove around the central sheave and thence around the outer sheave to the load.

5. In a governor for lowering devices, the combination with a rotatable drum supporting the load and a brake controlling the drum, of a rigid fulcrum support, a lever adjustably supported on said fulcrum to alter the ratio of the leverage each side of the fulcrum, said lever having one end sup porting the load and the other end connected with said brake to govern the speed of the lowering of the load, and a manually operated member adapted to engage the brake member to effect a pressure additional to the pressure of the load.

THOMAS HENRY MARTEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

